Deputy TV Editor

Every reality show has at least one: A Shrill Schemer who will do anything to win the day; an Elusive Everyman with reserves of untapped talent; a Charming Innocent who doesn’t realise what they’ve got themselves into; a Brash Egomaniac destined to fall from their perch.

They're the cliche stereotypes so ubiquitous it's almost as though producers have a set list of personalities they feel the need to tick off before the cameras can roll.

And though many shows, most notably Seven’s hit franchises My Kitchen Rules and House Rules with their archetypal ‘‘goodies’’ and ‘‘baddies’’, ‘‘heroes’’ and ‘‘bratty interlopers’’, suggest contestants are shoe-horned to fit familiar archetypes, when reality-TV producers talk about ‘‘getting the right mix’’ it seems it’s more a case of covering their bases for all likely outcomes. (Despite the success of its shows, Seven opted to not participate in this article.)

Twin blockbusters: Lysandra and Alisa of The Block were sure to be divisive due to their strong personalities. Photo: Mal Fairclough

The truth is that the people who make these shows often have little idea themselves of who will end up in which role and what is going to play out when they embark on making their show.

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‘‘At the end of the day you don’t know who is going to fly and who won’t, who will resonate with the audience and who won’t’’, says Jonathon Summerhayes, whose producer credits run a gamut of reality shows from the current X-Factor to The Biggest Loser and Big Brother.

There was no indication whatsoever, for example, that schoolteacher Dami Im would be the popular winner of The X-Factor’s fifth season last year.

‘‘She’s a very shy, retiring, religious woman who didn’t want to put herself on the public stage. Like a lot of people, she saw what these shows can do for you. We get such a broad reach of society coming in the door – schoolteachers, schoolkids, mums, truck drivers – just thinking 'I’ve a chance here, let’s see how it evolves'.’’

As the shows attest, the pool of available talent is vast, in spite of our relatively small population: each season of The Block attracts 5000 applications, while The X-Factor spends six months scouting open casting calls, gigs and schools for contestants.

What’s more, while a modicum of talent is essential for a place in The X-Factor and The Voice, renovating nous isn’t a pre-requisite of The Block; in fact many of The Block’s winners have been DIY novices.

‘‘We’re looking for regular folk’’, says Julian Cress, who co-created The Block with David Barbour. ‘‘Take Kyle and Kara from the last series. They’re not big personalities, at least to start with they’re not. But when they spend a couple of months with people like Alisa and Lysandra and Brad and Dale, they become bigger personalities, in the same way that Brad and Dale did. (Brad) never thought he would be a TV star and is still surprised he is. We’re not casting people who we think are the next Graham Kennedy, we’re casting people who we think can get through a couple of months of renovating.’’

While Cress insists that The Block never casts for established types, he admits that twins Alisa and Lysandra’s backgrounds – police officers raised by a single mother with small children of their own – was a good indicator of the strong and divisive personalities that emerged in the show.

"There was no question on meeting them that they didn’t take shit from people and they got what they wanted. They have a soft spot too. But when it comes to a competition like The Block they saw this as their shot in life, make enough money to struggle less with the mortgage and give their kids a better start in life than they had."

Cress insists that the demands of a renovation show such as The Block makes it impossible ‘‘to manufacture yourself’’, a view shared by Summerhayes.

‘‘We knew (Im) had the potential to be sculpted into a superstar, but had no idea the public would fall in love with her and follow her all the way through.’’

While the earliest incarnations of reality shows such as Survivor and Big Brother were largely focused on individuals, it’s perhaps no coincidence that the most successful ones today have couples – be they married, de-facto and same-sex couples, siblings, best friends, parent and child – at their core, pairings that span a cross-section of society and, arguably, break the mould of more conventional relationships seen elsewhere in the TV landscape.

Cress says that from the outset of The Block in 2002, the most interesting story that was unfolding each day was the one taking place inside the apartments.

‘‘And that’s been the case ever since. People at home are seeing themselves reflected.’’

‘‘It plays out a lot quicker than if you put strangers in that situation’’, Summerhayes says. "They tend to be more honest from the get-go … They’re less likely to be polite. And you want to see what happens at the end. Half the time on these shows it’s nice to see someone go through the whole journey with a loved one or a best friend for the benefit of themselves. People at home like to see an average person succeed in life. I think that’s the bottom line.’’